Zander had dreamed, he had dared, and now his whole world was about to change forever. It was exhilarating. His stomach swirled and turned like a roller-coaster. But he needed to keep himself under control. The other winners would be here soon and it wouldn’t be a good look, letting on just how much all of this meant to him, being in New York as a winner of the DARE competition, waiting in the backstage guest room to receive his award from charismatic trillionaire Felix Scott.
He had come a long way from the carefree boy he’d been before the sudden loss of his parents. Zander would have gladly traded all of this to have them back. But he hoped in being selected as a DARE Award winner they would have been proud of what he had achieved.
‘This is for you both,’ he said under his breath.
Zander allowed himself a smile. This was also for his grandfather, now seated somewhere in the ballroom of Felix’s Infinity Hotel. The old man could be a rascal, but he’d made life less lonely in their big house back in Athens.
When Zander checked his tie in the wall mirror, he saw a handsome young man, with amber eyes, chiselled features and hair as dark as midnight falling in ringlets to the collar of his charcoal suit. He nodded approvingly at his reflection. Soon he would be standing not just in front of his grandfather, but also in front of the city’s biggest celebrities and richest citizens to receive the award—all covered by the world’s media. Zander knew in his heart of hearts he deserved this.
On wobbly legs, a freckle-faced girl wearing a green headscarf and a silky red dress walked into the plush room and caught Zander’s eye. ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘I’m a DARE winner. My name is Yasmin. I do not wear usually high heels.’ She smiled, putting out her arms, pretending to balance.
‘Zander. I’m a DARE winner, too. Very good to meet you,’ he said, gesturing at a table laden with platters of gourmet food. ‘I was just thinking this seems too good to be true.’
‘As delicious as it all looks, I do not think I can eat,’ said Yasmin, pointing to her stomach. ‘Butterflies.’
‘Me, too,’ he said with a grin. ‘It really is—’
‘Yo!’
Yasmin was startled and nearly toppled out of her unfamiliar shoes. Zander turned with a scowl, unhappy to be interrupted, and saw a boy with a riot of sandy hair lope into the lounge. The intruder’s white high-top sneakers hinted that he didn’t feel he belonged in his black suit.
‘Wassup?’ he said, blue eyes twinkling. ‘I’m Andy.’
‘My name is Yasmin,’ said the girl formally. ‘I am from Egypt. And this is Zander from …?’
‘Greece,’ Zander said abruptly, narrowing his eyes at Andy as he folded his arms and drew himself up to his full height. ‘Athens.’
‘Cool,’ Andy replied brightly, unfazed by Zander’s manner. ‘I’m from Hell-A, also known as Los Angeles.’ He let out an appreciative whistle as his eyes travelled across the room’s priceless artwork and expensive furniture. ‘Wow, this crib is totally rad, huh?’
Zander rolled his eyes at Andy’s Californian way of talking. Amused, Yasmin suppressed a little smile.
‘So,’ Zander said, frowning at the American, ‘you won a DARE Award?’
If Andy caught his tone, he didn’t let on. ‘That’s what they tell me, my man.’
‘Um, am I in the right place?’ A dark-skinned boy with short dreadlocks hovered in the doorway. He blinked behind expensive glasses and tugged at the collar of his brown suit jacket.
‘You are if you won a DARE Award,’ said Andy. ‘I’m Andy.’
The new boy smiled at the warm welcome. ‘I’m Dylan.’
‘Dude, your accent?’ Andy said. ‘Aussie?’
Dylan nodded. ‘Well spotted, mate.’
Andy laughed. ‘I’m from LA. Zeus there is from Greece.’
‘Ignore him if you can,’ Zander said, scowling at Andy as he shook hands with Dylan. ‘I’m Zander.’
‘Easier said than done,’ Andy said. ‘Anyway, Yasmin here’s from Egypt.’
‘Sweet,’ Dylan said, smiling at her. ‘I went there one time with my parents.’
‘You did?’ asked Yasmin brightly. ‘I live right near the—’ She was distracted by the arrival of a girl with pink hair in a blue dress, a silver stud in her nose and chunky silver bracelets clattering at her wrists.
‘Welcome, number five!’ Andy said cheerfully as the girl strode confidently into the lounge in her red boots.
She nodded. ‘Hola, I’m Isabel.’
As they introduced themselves, another girl slipped in quietly. Her black bob framed a pale face set with startling emerald eyes. White arms folded defensively against her black lace dress, the new arrival averted her gaze to a painting of a dripping clock.
Isabel smiled at the others. ‘Shy,’ she mouthed, before crossing to stand by the new girl. ‘I love this guy’s paintings,’ she said. ‘I’m Isabel. And you are?’
‘Mila,’ the girl answered in a small voice, still staring ahead. ‘Mila Cortez.’
‘Cortez?’ Isabel said. ‘¿De dónde eres?’
Mila looked her way, unfolded her arms and replied softly in Spanish.
‘You habla Español or whatever?’ Dylan whispered to the others.
‘A little,’ Yasmin said. ‘I learn in my family tourist shop. She is telling Isabel she is living at the Chilean base in Antarctica.’
‘The South Pole?’ Andy said, grinning. ‘No wonder she hasn’t got much of a tan.’
‘Everyone,’ came a woman’s clipped voice from the other side of the room, ‘your attention please.’
All eyes turned to the elegant Eurasian woman in the doorway. Each of the DARE Award winners had met Felix Scott’s executive assistant, Miss Chen, when they’d arrived at the Infinity Hotel that afternoon. She was tall and poised in her pinstripe suit, black hair smoothly chic in a perfect bun. Miss Chen’s feline eyes flitted behind SmartGlasses and dipped constantly to her tablet. She gave off an air of being so efficient that she could do three things at once.
‘This is Jae-joon from South Korea,’ she said, stepping aside for an Asian boy with artfully arranged hair and a funky Seoul Man T-shirt, worn with his trendy white suit.
‘Hello,’ Jae-joon said, offering a little bow. ‘Please, call me JJ.’
‘Perfect,’ Miss Chen said, ‘that is all of you. Please, make yourselves comfortable. I will return to escort you to the stage in ten minutes.’
With that she was gone, closing the door behind her.
An awkward silence descended.
Andy cleared his throat. ‘So, first there were the dwarfs and then the magnificent—and now here we are!’
The others looked at him like he was crazy.
‘Get it?’ Andy grinned. ‘The Seven Dwarfs? The Magnificent Seven? Now look out world, because we’re … the DARE Seven!’
While Zander gave another eye roll, the rest of the group burst out laughing. With the ice broken, they stood around the buffet table, picking at food and chatting about how amazing the Infinity Hotel was and how cool it had been to get new clothes for the award ceremony.
‘Do you guys think,’ Andy said around a mouthful of cheese, ‘that we’ll be given, like, actual prizes?’
‘What is it you are thinking?’ Isabel asked.
Andy shrugged. ‘Felix Scott’s the richest man in the world. The sky’s the limit. Use your imagination.’
As Zander frowned, JJ let out a chuckle. ‘Yup,’ he said, ‘I’ll take a submarine—made of gold!’
‘I’ll take any of the artworks in this room,’ Isabel said.
Dylan raised a hand. ‘Put me down for one of Felix’s new flying cars.’
‘Totally,’ Andy agreed. ‘Hey, so what about you, Zan?’
‘Zander,’ he corrected, ‘just Zander.’
‘OK, just Zander,’ Andy said, teasing, ‘what do you want from Felix?’
The Greek boy pointed at a wall screen showing footage of how Felix Scott had made Infinity Corporation into the biggest company in the world. ‘Surely the real prize is the opportunity to meet him.’
Andy rolled his eyes. ‘Way to bring the mood down.’
But Yasmin frowned. ‘No, Andy, he is right. How many people get to spend time with the “Internet King”?’
Zander shot her a nod.
‘I know he’s amazing and everything,’ said JJ, now peering down through a window, ‘but that doesn’t mean everyone’s a fan. Check it out.’
They all went over to the window. On the autumnal streets beneath the hotel, protestors held up placards and chanted, their voices too faint to make out the words.
‘“Infinity wrecks the planet”,’ Dylan read aloud, squinting to read a sign.
‘That one says “Infinity steals ideas”,’ added Yasmin.
‘These things, are they true?’ Mila asked.
Zander shrugged. ‘You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.’
‘What does this mean, about the omelette?’ Mila asked.
‘It means successful people always have a lot of enemies,’ Andy explained. ‘Why, I myself have made quite a few ene—’
A whoosh cut him off. Everyone spun around as a life-size 3D hologram of the purple-haired, purple-clothed Avarava—the world’s most famous pop star—was streamed live into the room’s HoloSpace from her performance in the ballroom next door.
‘Welcome to the DARE Awards!’ her hologram called out. ‘We’re going to have a great night!’
As Avarava launched into her hit song, Best Behava, the room’s wall screens showed starstruck adults in tuxedos and gowns jumping up from their tables to sing along.
‘Do we get to meet her?’ JJ asked excitedly.
‘Please tell me we do!’ Isabel added.
Mila blinked. ‘This singer, she is famous?’
‘You have heard of Avarava, right?’ Andy said.
Mila blushed. ‘The name is familiar, but her songs, no.’
‘But you do have music in Antarctica?’ Andy joked.
‘I like the classical music,’ Mila replied. ‘Mozart, Beethoven. You have heard of them, yes?’
Andy laughed. Mila was shy but it looked like she had a sly sense of humour, too. ‘I love those dudes,’ he shot back. ‘Especially their new stuff!’
Mila grinned that she got the joke and the others smiled—even Zander.
On the ballroom stage, Avarava finished her song.
‘Thank you!’ the pop princess shouted, blowing kisses and taking a bow. ‘Thank you, I love you all!’
The crowd cheered and cheered.
‘Right now,’ Avarava said when the applause died down, ‘I am very pleased to introduce the man who changed my life when he signed me to his record label, Infinity Music, all those years ago. And now he’s about to change the lives of more lucky young people.’
In the guest lounge, the DARE Award winners traded nervous glances.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ Avarava continued, ‘please welcome the founder of Infinity Corporation and a true twenty-first century visionary, the amazing Felix Scott!’
Amid thunderous applause, Felix Scott ran onto the stage. In the guest lounge, his hologram kissed Avarava’s cheek before she moved offstage and left him alone in the spotlight. With his blue eyes, mane of white hair and trademark crimson suit, Felix was often said to look like a younger, slimmer and more handsome Santa Claus. But he really was like Santa in that he could make just about any dream come true.
‘DARE,’ Felix boomed in his British accent. ‘It stands for my personal motto—”Dream! Act! Realise Everything!” Tonight we’re here to celebrate some very special young people who are already on their way to doing just that!’
Felix turned to a giant screen where the endless loop of the Infinity logo gleamed.
INFINITY
Then letters swirled in a jumble before forming the words of the DARE Awards advertisement. ‘Four months ago, I sent out this message. “Dazzle us with your genius”,’ he read. ‘“Enter the DARE Awards”.’ Felix smiled brightly at the audience. ‘I placed this ad in newspapers and magazines, on websites and social media, all around the world. There was no mention of me or what prizes there might be. I didn’t want entrants telling me what they thought I’d want to hear or what they thought would make them rich. Honest answers about their dreams and ambitions—that’s what I was looking for. But I was also looking for more. I wanted young people who weren’t just dreamers, but doers.’
Felix paced the stage, seeming to make eye contact with everyone in the ballroom.
‘As a child living in poverty,’ he said, ‘I didn’t just dream about a better life—I decided to do what I could to make one for myself. First computer program at age seven. Infinity Search Engine at fourteen. Billionaire by twenty-one. At twenty-eight, I was employing over one million people in a hundred and fifty countries. By the time I was thirty-five, Infinity was the biggest company on Earth, and at forty-two I became the world’s first trillionaire. I only realised this year, when I turned forty-nine, that all the major landmarks in my life have occurred at seven-year intervals. To celebrate, I created the DARE Awards to give seven young dreamers and doers the chance to make a real difference to the world!’
Felix paused as the spotlight settled on the parents and guardians of the DARE Award winners, seated at the VIP table nearest the stage. ‘Please join me in congratulating the wonderful people who’ve raised tonight’s guests of honour,’ he said warmly.
Polite clapping suddenly became thunderous cheering in the ballroom as A-list movie stars Kit and Katlyn Taylor swept theatrically up the central aisle. Waving to the applauding crowd, the celebrity couple, known worldwide simply as ‘KitKat’, took the two seats that had been glaringly empty at the VIP table.
‘Making it about them as always,’ Dylan said grumpily from the lounge. ‘Thanks heaps, Mum and Dad.’
‘What?’ Andy asked, wide-eyed. ‘You’re Dylan Taylor?’
JJ clicked his fingers. ‘Your face, I knew it was familiar!’
‘This KitKat, even I know of them,’ said Mila. ‘Galactic Quest—I love this movie.’
Isabel smiled. ‘Me, too!’
‘Yup,’ JJ said excitedly. ‘It’s the best. They’re really your mother and father?’
‘I’m adopted,’ Dylan sighed. ‘Guess I’m just lucky like that.’
Zander arched an eyebrow. Yasmin caught his glance and they shared a secret headshake, both unimpressed by celebrity.
Miss Chen reappeared at the backstage door and switched off the HoloSpace, the room seeming suddenly empty minus the lifelike 3D image. ‘Perfect,’ she said into her SmartGlasses before focusing on the DARE Award winners. ‘It is time. Is everyone ready?’
The winners exchanged skittish looks.
‘Perfect,’ she said. ‘Come then.’
‘Without any further ado,’ Felix boomed, ‘please welcome the seven winners of the DARE Awards!’
As the crowd roared and news drones hovered, the group walked onto the dazzlingly bright stage and shook hands with Felix before lining up beside him.
‘Congratulations to you all,’ he said when the applause had died down. ‘It’s a genuine pleasure to meet seven of the best and brightest hopes for the future of our world!’
Nervous and proud, the DARE Award winners beamed out at the sea of faces.
Felix rubbed his hands together, like he was getting down to business. ‘So,’ he said, smiling. ‘My guess is you’d like to know what prizes I can offer?’
Zander couldn’t evade Andy’s told-you-so grin.
‘A question like that did come up,’ Andy wisecracked.
Felix laughed. ‘I’m giving each of you a chance at fame, money and adventure. And that includes …’
Time seemed to slow down. Zander could hear his heart beating in his ears. He bet the others could, too.
‘New InfiniFones with unlimited lifetime accounts,’ Felix said.
The group looked at each other excitedly. The company’s phones were the hottest items on the market.
‘Plus, you’ll get to try Infinity Air’s brand-new SpaceSkimmer ultra-fast jets!’ Felix continued. ‘You’re each getting a seven-day world-travel open ticket that’ll give you a chance to visit each other and get to know your fellow winners!’
Excited gasps filled the hotel ballroom. Felix’s ultra-fast jets flew at the edge of space! Felix raised a hand to quiet down the audience’s enthusiasm.
‘Then I’d like to invite you to join me for seven days aboard the biggest, most technologically advanced vessel on the ocean …’
The air pressure in the ballroom seemed to increase.
‘… the Infinite Horizon.’
The teens traded high fives as the ballroom broke out in applause once again.
Felix grinned. ‘So, I take it you’ve all heard of my boat?’ he asked.
They nodded eagerly. Calling Infinite Horizon a boat was a crazy understatement. It was a floating city that was an invitation-only destination for the world’s richest, smartest, most famous and powerful people.
‘On board the Infinite Horizon, you’ll get to talk about your ideas and plans with some of the best and brightest minds on the planet. Writers, inventors, doctors, scientists, artists, programmers, filmmakers, astronauts and more, will all share their experiences and advice with you. My hope is you’ll find the mentors you need to grow and achieve your dreams.’
The crowd cheered.
Felix held up a hand. The audience simmered down.
‘There’s one last thing I should mention,’ the trillionaire said.
The ballroom was so quiet, Zander was sure he could hear champagne fizzing in crystal flutes.
Ever the showman, Felix let the moment stretch. ‘At the end of our time together on the Infinite Horizon, I’m going to give each of you …’
He looked at seven expectant faces.
‘… one … million … dollars!’
The Infinity Hotel ballroom erupted into a frenzy.
A SPECIAL NEWS REPORT
Who DARES wins!
Seven lucky teenagers are on top of the world after trillionaire Felix Scott named them as the winners of his DARE Awards in a glittering ceremony at the Infinity Hotel last night. The teens will each receive $1 million, spend a week flying around the world on Infinity Air’s new SpaceSkimmers, enjoy another week on the Infinite Horizon, and be able to keep in touch with each other for life on free InfiniFones.
Here’s the lowdown on the lucky seven prize winners.
Two years ago, American skater Andy Freeman, now 15, set up Scoop, a blog where he publishes investigative stories exposing criminals who rip off kids. ‘My dream is to build Scoop into a worldwide network where kids can publish their own articles and become investigative journalists, too,’ says Andy. Andy’s dad, a decorated LA cop, couldn’t hide his tears when his son dedicated his award to his late mother. ‘She was a really brave reporter.’
Born in Haiti, Dylan Taylor, also 15, lives in Australia with his superstar parents, A-list movie stars Kit and Katlyn Taylor—better known as KitKat. A self-confessed ‘underwater nerd’, Dylan is a future marine biologist. ‘Only five percent of the ocean has been mapped,’ he says. ‘My dream is to explore the secrets of the sea and encourage people to save its species and habitats.’
Fourteen-year-old Yasmin Adib greets customers at her parents’ tourist shop in Cairo, Egypt with the question, ‘What makes you happy?’ Her LiveFoto recordings of their answers adorn the shop walls and her website, Yasminshappinessproject.com. ‘My dream is to get answers from people all over the earth,’ she says. ‘I think showing how similar we are can help make a more peaceful world.’
You may not have heard of Greece’s Zander Demeter, 16, but chances are you love NEO Avenger, the asteroid-smashing, free game app he created. The app also gives NASA access to the unused computing power of millions of devices to help it search for real asteroids that could destroy the earth. ‘My goal is to develop more fun apps but also protect humanity from the many other threats we face,’ explains Zander.
Isabel Garcia, 15, grew up in a tough part of Bogotá, Colombia. Her viral video campaign, Libros no Armas (Books not Guns), encourages local kids to take a pledge to stay at school and refuse to join gangs. More than ten thousand kids have made videos. ‘School attendance is on the rise,’ says Isabel. ‘The criminals aren’t happy but I don’t care and I won’t back down. I want kids in Colombia to have the same opportunities as everywhere else.’
Maths genius Mila Cortez, 14, lives with her parents at the Chilean base in Antarctica, one of less than a hundred people to have ever been born in the South Pole region! Her dream is just as out of this world: to be the first person on Mars. ‘Already I discovered a new planet using the telescope of the base,’ she says. ‘I even got to name it after my favourite ballet—Planet Nutcracker!’
From Seoul, South Korea, Park Jae-joon, or JJ, 15, lost the use of his legs in a car accident when he was two. But he can now walk and run faster than most boys his age, thanks to the advanced robotic leg mecha he designed for himself! Now he wants to use his inventing skills to make a better world. ‘My goal is to invent medi-bots to help people in countries where there aren’t enough doctors,’ JJ says.